A Twist in Fate
by whateverforever12
Summary: AU. Callie is 15 and Jude is 12 as they both are at the Olmstead's. Callie begins school at Anchor Beach, and inevitably meets the Foster family. A twist in how Callie and Jude end up with them in the end. Rated M for the stronger material that may be included. *Not Brallie, but have a lot of interaction*
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note: So i've had this idea for a while, I just finally finished the outline for it. It's an AU and Callie is about 15 and still living with the Olmsteads. **

"This is where you'll eat lunch. The kids sit anywhere really, so there's no specific set up to it. Over there is the beach. You'll be out there for gym and other various activities." The woman said, pointing at each location.

I nodded my head and tugged at the loops on my jeans. Starting a new school was nothing new for me, but it was under much different circumstances. I know Henry and Olivia only wanted me to have more opportunities, but it didn't take away from the fact that I knew absolutely no one.

"Do you have any questions?" The woman asked.

"No, I think I got it." I answered, avoiding eye contact.

"Okay, I'll walk you to your first class then."

I followed her as she led me through the empty hallways. We stopped suddenly at a door and I nearly bumped into her.

"I'm sorry." I said frantically. Great.

She laughed. "You're fine. If you need any help throughout the day, I'm sure people will be there to help. If you need anything, I'll probably be in my office. Don't hesitate to come by."

"Thank you Mrs. Adams."

"Of course. Good luck!" She called before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.

I took a breath, then opened the door. Immediately, every body in the room had their eyes on was obvious to me right then that I did not, and probably never would fit in here. My slightly loose jeans and worn out converse made me stick out more than I could have ever thought.

"You must be Callie, yes?" A woman in her late 30's asked.

I nodded.

"My name's Jamie. Callie is just starting at Anchor Beach." She said, addressing the class with the last part. "You can take a seat right over there behind Isaac. If you don't mind staying a little bit after class, I'll catch you up on anything you need."

I followed where her hand pointed, and everyone's eyes followed me as well. I could feel myself becoming conscious of every movement, causing me to loose my footing over someone's bookbag strap. Luckily, I caught myself before face planting. Awkwardly, I sat down behind a boy with scruffy blonde hair. Isaac, apparently. Jamie went on with the lesson, explaining some long and excessive proof problem. Math was never my strong suit, but I had taken a couple geometry classes in the past considering the amount of times I've had to switch schools.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and I stayed after with Jamie as she filled me in on what they had already covered as well as what she had planned for the future. She handed me a few papers, and I walked out. One class down, six to go. I walked through the hallway in search of my U.S history class. I suddenly felt a crowd of people surround me.

"You're the new girl, right?" A boy asked me.

"Uh, yeah." I muttered.

"What class are you trying to find?" He asked.

"U.S history. Room 106." I replied.

"Oh that's right over this way. I can take you there." He said with arrogance.

I didn't reply, leaving a few seconds of silence.

"I heard you're a foster kid. That sounds pretty cool." He then said.

Boy news traveled fast around here.

"Dude, cut it out." A voice from behind me said. I assumed one of his friends.

"Um, it's not. Thanks for the help, but I think I can manage the rest of the way." I pulled on the strap of my bookbag and sped up my pace.

Eventually, after walking in a few small circles, I found the classroom. You'd thing that it being such a small school, it would be easier to find everything. I managed to get through the rest of my classes, but I was almost completely drained by my last period. I sat at a lab table alone as my biology teacher, Rob, went over a project we were to do this weekend.

"I'd like you to get with a partner of your choice. All directions are on this sheet of paper I'm handing out. You are going to compare your genetics with your partners and present it. You are to get all information from your parents and family." Rob explained further.

Wow! How fitting for the foster kid, right? I looked at the instructions and figured I could just ask Rob for something else to do until I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.

"Callie right?" A boy with brown hair asked.

I nodded.

"I'm Brandon. I'm really sorry about my friend earlier, the one who asked you if you were a foster kid. He kind of has no filter."

"Or common courtesy." I added.

Brandon laughed. "That too. Do you have a partner yet?"

I shook my head.

"Wanna work together?" He asked.

"Uh, sure, but I have to ask the teacher something first." I answered.

I put my paper down and made my way up to the front of the class where Rob's desk was.

"Hi Callie. What's up?" He said, looking up from his computer.

I didn't really know how to word this. _Hi! I'm a foster kid and don't know anything about my family!_

"Well, uh, I don't live with any biological family members or have any contact with anyone, so I was just wondering what I should do." I said, looking down at my shoes. This was so humiliating.

"Just get the information from your guardians. You'll be fine, I won't doc you any points." Rob said, giving me a sympathetic smile.

Those are my favorite!

I nodded and returned to my seat.

"We can work at my house if you want, unless you wanna work at yours." Brandon began.

"No. We'll go to your house." I said quickly.

Working at the Olmsteads was a definite no, not with Liam around.

"Okay. You can just ride home with me and my brother and sister after school tomorrow if you want." He suggested.

"I have to ask."

Running this idea past Liam would be fun.

Brandon nodded. We sat in silence, both reading the paper until he began speakin again.

"Just so you know, my mom is the vice principal, so you're not thrown off."

I tilted my head to the side. "Mrs. Adams is your mom?"

"It's a weird story. Basically her and my biological mom have been together for 9 years." He began explaining.

"Gotcha." I replied.

The final bell rang and we both packed our stuff away.

"Hold on!" Brandon called, just as I started to walk towards the door.

I was really hoping this wouldn't take long. Liam would be pissed if I took too long.

"I'm kind of in a hurry." I admitted.

Brandon handed me his phone. "Put your number in."

I quickly grabbed the phone and punched my number in. I basically threw it back at him as I ran towards the parking lot. I saw Liam's jeep right away.

"There you are." Liam said as I shut the door.

"Yea, sorry. We're doing a project with a partner. I just had to give him my number before we left." I said, not realizing I had let the word "he" slip out.

"_He?"_ Liam automatically asked.

"Don't worry. It's just a project." I assured.

"It better be. You're mine. Only mine." He replied.

I gave him a half smile and looked out the window as we drove home. I felt his hand on my thigh, and I put my hand over his. Hopefully that was all he had to say about the situation.

**This was just an intro to get it going, but I already have about 10 chapters planned out that are much better than this. I just had to get the ball rolling and set everything up. I hope you guys like it and stay around for more!**


	2. Chapter 2

I was sitting in my room looking through papers from throughout the day when I heard a small knock on the door. Luckily it was Jude and not Liam. I didn't feel like getting into an argument.

"Hi baby, how was tutoring?" I asked.

Jude went to the public school, but stayed after on Monday's and Thursday's for extra help.

"Boring, but Mrs. Lewis gave me some candy. Want some?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets to search for what I assumed was the candy.

"No thanks, buddy. You keep it for yourself."

"How was your new school?" He asked, joining me on my bed.

"It wasn't that bad. A little overwhelming at times." I replied.

"Did you make any friends?" He continued.

"Ehh. I wasn't really trying today. But kinda. His name is Brandon. We're doing a project together so I won't be home after school tomorrow." I informed him.

"Okay. I wish we were at the same school." Jude admitted to me.

I sighed. "Me too buddy, but after tutoring you can get into the school too and we'll be together. Don't worry."

It wasn't that Jude was stupid, it was just hard to learn things when you were continuously chaging schools.

Jude didn't respond.

"Do you have any homework?" I asked.

He simply nodded.

"What do you have? I can help you with it, if you want." I suggested.

"I just have to read a few chapters of my book. I don't need any help." He replied back.

Obviously discouraged, I tousseled his hair.

"If you need any help just come find me, okay?" I remind.

Jude walked out, shutting the door behind him and I returned back to the pile of loose papers sitting in front of me. Everything was pretty straight forward, rules, needed supplies, stuff like that. I saw my phone light up from the nightstand and reached for it.

"_Hey it's Brandon" _The message read.

"_Hey" _I typed back.

"_I talked to my moms and they said you riding home with us would be fine tomorrow. I have most of the stuff we'll need here." _He quickly replied.

"_Okay. I still have to check in with my foster parents but i'm sure it will be fine." _I say, then put my phone down on the bed.

Suddenly, Liam walks through the door.

"Hey." He smiles.

"Hey."

"What are you up to?" He asks.

"Nothing really, just looking through handouts." I answer.

He moves closer to the bed and eventually sits down.

"I missed you today." He says, putting his hand on my leg.

"I missed you too." I reply, putting my hand on top of his.

"Why didn't you text me at all?" He questions.

"I wanted to. I just didn't want to get caught texting in class. Plus, I was overwhelmed during the day." I answer honestly. I know it's not what he wanted to hear.

"Glad to know how much you care."

"Hey. You know it's not like that." I assure.

"I hope not." He says, leaning in to kiss me.

We kiss for a second until my phone lights up, catching his attention.

"Who's Brandon?"

"He's my partner for the project I was telling you about." I answer.

"So you can text him but not me. Makes sense. Makes perfect sense!" He begins to yell.

"Liam don't! Just please calm down!" I yell back, but softer to not attract Jude's attention.

"Don't tell me to calm down! I don't want you at that school if you're just going to mess around with all these other boys!" He yells back, grabbing my arms in a tight hold.

"I'm not messing around with anyone. Let go of me!" I struggle to pull out of his grip.

He quickly lets go when he hears footsteps coming towards the door. Jude practically runs in, but looks surprised.

"Hey buddy. Do you need help with your homework?" I say, covering the fear and anger in my voice.

"Y-yea." He says shakily.

I stand up and follow Jude to his room.

"What was happening why were you guys yelling?" He wastes no time in asking.

"We were just arguing. Nothing serious. It was stupid, really. Don't worry." I lie.

"Are you sure?" He asks.

"Of course. We're safe here, you know that."

Later that night, I walk into the bathroom to get ready to sleep. I look down at my wrists, which are now littered with light bruises where his fingers were. I sigh and rub them softly. I finish washing my face and brushing my teeth before returning back to my room.

Liam is sitting on my bed. I shut the door. He motions for me to sit on his lap, and I do.

"I'm sorry for yelling. If you say it's just about a project then I trust you." He says.

"It's okay." I reply.

"I just don't want anyone else to try to get with you. You're so beautiful, anyone could see it. It makes me crazy knowing that you're around a bunch of other guys and not me." He says.

I smile. "I wouldn't do that to you. I wouldn't go after someone else. You know that."

"I know, but it still drives me insane." He reminds.

I grab his face with my hand and kiss him. We pull away shortly.

"I should go to sleep. Promise you're not mad about me going to Brandon's tomorrow?"

"I promise. Sleep, baby." He assures before leaving the room.

I plug my phone in and check my alarm before getting situated in bed. My wrists begin to throb, but I try not to think about it. This wasn't the first time he put his hands on me, and it probably wouldn't be the last either, but I know that he does care about me. Somehow.

I wake up the next day groggy and exhausted. I practically roll out of bed and to my dresser to find something to wear. I decide on a pair of faded leggings and a light long sleeve shirt, to avoid any questions from anyone. The last thing I wanted was to be sent to a guidance counselor. That would be hell. I finish getting ready, and Jude and I wait for Liam to bring us to school.

We drop Jude off, leaving just me and Liam. We pulled up to anchor beach and he put his hand on my thigh.

"Text me." He reminds.

"I will. I'll see you later." I say before grabbing my bookbag and jumping out of the car. The rest of the day is relatively normal, and Brandon and I leave biology together and head for his moms car. I see 2 other kids standing there, and I assume their his siblings.

"This is my brother Jesus and this is my sister Mariana. This is Callie." He introduces, and we share awkward waves and smiles.

"I like your necklace. Where'd you get it?" Mariana says, breaking the silence.

"Oh thanks. It was my moms. I'm not sure where she got it from." I answer as I rub the necklace between my fingers.

"Well, she had good taste." Mariana smiles.

I smile back.

"Hey guys sorry I had tons of paperwork to do." Lena calls from behind us.

"Shot gun." Jesus calls as Lena unlocks the door.

"Hi callie. How are you?" She asks with a warm smile.

"I'm good. Thank you for having me over."

"You're always welcome." She replies.

We climb into the car and I listen to the banter of the 3 of them. It's odd how most people take for granted the things I wish that I had.

**Guys I am soooo sorry for the wait. My computer crashed and I lost everything, then fanfiction was giving me problems for a couple of days. I know it's kind of slow, and i'll probably add a time jump sometime in a couple of chapters. Hope you enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

The Fosters house is warm and inviting. It smells like laundry soap and there's pictures of them everywhere.

"Your house is beautiful." I compliment, still looking around.

"Thanks sweetie. Are you guys hungry?" She asks.

"What kind of question is that?" Jesus remarks as he goes towards the kitchen.

The rest of us follow.

"Callie, do you want anything?" Lena asks as everyone else is going in and out of the fridge.

"I'm fine. Thank you." I answer.

"Well if you want anything later, don't hesitate to grab something." She says.

"What's for dinner?" Jesus asks, stuffing a sandwich into his mouth.

"I have pasta or chicken." Lena replies.

The words "chicken" and "pasta" float through the room as everyone argues on which to have.

"Why don't we let our guest pick. Callie what would you like?" Lena turns towards me.

"Oh-uh I don't want to intrude on your dinner." I babble.

"You're not intruding anything. What would you like?" She assures.

I realize at this moment how bad I am at making decisions and how awkward I am. "Pasta sounds good."

Jesus groans, but Mariana smiles at me.

"I knew I liked you." She says before grabbing her bag and going into the living room.

"Let's go upstairs and get started." Brandon says, leading me out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

I take time to notice the amount of pictures littering the wall of the staircase. They were mostly pictures of the family. There was a blonde in many of them, who I assumed was Brandon's other mom.

"I pulled most of the stuff we'd need out last night. Do you think we'll need anything else?" Brandon asks, pulling me out of my daze.

I look around at the supplies scattered across his desk. "No I think that looks like enough."

"I got most of the info from my Mom, but I still have to get the other half from my dad. We still have a few days though." Brandon says.

"At least I don't have to do much work for that." I say jokingly.

Might as well laugh about what I can't change.

We begin working on the basis of the poster, but I find my train of thought drifting while Brandon is talking. I wonder about Jude, and I wonder about Liam. He had seemed okay after last night, but things could turn around in a split second with him.

"Callie?" Brandon asks, pulling me back to reality.

"Sorry, Yea?" I say.

"You okay? You seem out of it."

"Yea, I'm fine. I'm just wondering if my brother got home okay." I say, leaving out the part about Liam.

"You have a brother? What's his name?" Brandon questions.

"Jude. He's 12." I say, immediately feeling my face light up as I say his name.

"Does he go to Anchor Beach too?"

"No. He struggles with math, so he's in tutoring, but next year he's going to try to get in. He goes to the public school. He's not dumb, it's just hard when you switch schools so much." I explain.

"That makes sense. I've only been to one school my entire life, but I could understand that it's probably really hard." He replies, and I can hear the pity in his voice.

"You play piano?" I quickly change the subject.

Pity is not something I really take.

"Yea. I have since I was 5. I've always wanted to play in the Junior Symphony." He replies.

"I bet you could one day." I encourage.

"Hopefully. I've been trying to get lessons by this guy for a while, but I'm pretty sure he's satan. He's super expensive anyways." Brandon says, obviously discouraged.

"I bet you could do it without him. You should play something when we're done." I smile.

We finish as much as we can of the project, and leave a little bit left for tomorrow. As soon as we put everything away, Brandon sat down at his piano. I sit on his bed and listen, and he was better than I had expected.

"You're really talented. Like, really talented." I say, still in awe.

"Lot's of practice I guess. Thanks" He smiles.

"My mom used to play a little guitar. We were gonna take lessons together when I got older." I admit, surprising myself.

Even bringing my mom up usually made me uncomfortable, but this time it just felt so natural.

"It's never too late to learn." Brandon says.

"Maybe one day." I reply.

We hear a small knock on the open door.

"I thought I heard voices up here. Who's your friend, Brandon?" An unfamiliar voice says.

I turn around and see the blonde from the pictures, but I was more surprised to see her in a cop get up. I quickly stand up. Cops have never been apart of anything good in the past. Well, for me I guess.

"Oh, mom, this is Callie, Callie this is my mom." Brandon quickly introduces.

"Hi, Mrs. Foster." I hesitantly stick out my hand.

"Call me Stef. It's nice to meet you. Weren't you guys working on a project?" She shakes my hand, then asks Brandon.

"We were. I still have to ask Dad stuff so we're finishing it tomorrow." Brandon explains.

"Hmm. Bug him until he asks his dad, Callie, else he won't remember to do it himself." Stef winks, then leaves the room.

"I didn't know your mom was a cop."

"Yea, so is my dad. It's weird sometimes, because they'll switch between cop and parent 24/7." Brandon laughs.

I reach up to put my hair up in a ponytail, and am caught off guard at what Brandon says.

"What happened to your arm?"

My heart races as I quickly come up with an excuse.

"Oh, me and Jude were wrestling the other day. I guess we got carried away."

Brandon was about to say something, but was cut off by Lena yelling for dinner.

"We should go downstairs." I stand up and begin to walk out of the room.

Downstairs is almost overwhelming. I'm not used to family dinners. I'm not used to family, actually.

"You can sit here Callie." Mariana smiles, motioning to the seat next to hers.

I awkwardly smile back and sit down.

"It smells really good." I compliment.

"Thank you." Lena smiles.

"You see, Lena is a great cook, but no one is as good as me." Stef says with a smug look on her face.

"Yea okay. Who burned the garlic bread again last week?" Brandon jokes.

"Hey, it was one mistake!" Stef laughs.

"Yea, that happens everytime you try to cook dinner." Jesus adds.

Stef playfully pushes Jesus' shoulder and takes a bite of pasta.

"So Callie, how do you like Anchor Beach?" Stef asks.

"I like it. It's overwhelming sometimes. It's a lot different from all the other schools I've been to." I admit, surprising myself again.

I usually am the queen at being vague and leaving out anything that could be remotely personal.

Dinner goes on, and surprisingly I find myself enjoying it. The Fosters were what I had always imagined as the happy family I hope I'd have when I was older. We finish, and Lena offers to drive me home. I figure I'd rather have that than have to call Liam, just in case. I say goodbye to everyone, and the minute I get dropped off, I was already excited to go back.

**Again, sorry for the wait! Like I said, my laptop died so along with re doing all the chapters I have to redo all my school work. It sucks! Hope you guys enjoy! The time jump is going to be after the next two chapters, I think.**


	4. Chapter 4

I had gone back to the Foster's house the next day to finish the last of the project, and Brandon and I were pretty impressed with the final product.

"Looks good, huh?" He says, nudging my elbow.

"It does. Just look at my perfect genes!" I joke.

I had purposely chosen all the good ones, because I might as well have given myself something good, even if it wasn't reality.

"Oh, and good thing I reminded you to call your dad, too." I add, laughing.

"Hey, I would have remembered myself! Have a little faith in me!" He says offensively, but I can still see a smile peak from his mouth.

I find it strange that I am already so comfortable around Brandon after only knowing each other for a solid 48 hours, but unlike I usually do, I don't immediately put my walls back up. I know that after this project is over, I don't have much of an excuse good enough to come over here anymore. Liam would never let me just come over to hangout. Unless I told him I was going to Mariana's house, which isn't techincally a lie, right?

"Hey guys, you finish your project?" I hear Stef ask, pulling me away from my thoughts.

"Yea." Brandon answers, handing the poster off to her.

"Looks good. Mama said to come down for dinner. Callie you're welcome to join us again." Stef says after looking over the poster.

I smile. "Thank you very much."

Stef smiles back and follows us downstairs. I sit down next to Mariana again, across from Brandon.

"So how was everyone's day?" Stef begins, plopping a pile of salad on her plate

I cut a piece of chicken as I listen quietly. Suddenly, my phone rings, and I quickly pull it out to silence it, until I see the number is Jude's school.

"Um, I'm really sorry, it's my brother's school. Excuse me." I say and I slip out of the room.

"Hello?"

"Hi." Jude says on the other end.

I breathe a sigh of relief. At least he's okay.

"What's up buddy?"

"Liam didn't come to get me and I can't get ahold of him or Henry or Olivia." He says.

"I remember you telling him you were staying after again today. I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?" I say, masking the anger in my voice.

How do you just forget to pick up a child?

We hang up and I go back into the kitchen.

"Uh- my foster brother forgot to pick up my brother and he can't get ahold of anyone so I have to get him. Sorry for leaving in the middle of dinner. Thank you for having me over again." I awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

"Are you going to walk?" Stef questions with concern.

"He's just at the public school, it's only about 20 minutes to walk." I answer.

Lena stands up and wipes her hand on a towel. "Nonsense. I'll take you to get him and bring you guys home."

"You-you don't have to do that. You should stay and eat with your family." I stammer.

"It's fine, really. Come on." She gives me a warm smile.

I say goodbye to everyone, and apologize again numerous times.

"What's your brother's name?" Lena asks as she buckles her seatbelt and starts the car.

"Jude. He's 12." I reply.

We make small talk until we reach the school, and Lena parks the car.

"I have to go to the office and get him." I mumble.

"I'll be here." Lena smiles.

I get out of the car and walk to the door. I ring the bell and am let in. I see Jude sitting with his bookbag in the office.

"I'm Callie, Jude's sister." I say to the secretary.

"Do you have any I.D?" She asks, looking up.

"Um..no. I'm only 15." I say, and I'm sure the worry is evident in my voice.

"Well..." She begins, but Jude stands up.

"This is my sister! I promise!" He says.

I look at her with pleading eyes.

She hesitates, but eventually lets us go.

"Brandon's mom is going to drive us home." I say as I wrap my arm around his shoulder.

Jude nods, and we walk back to the car.

"Jude, this is Lena." I introduce.

Jude puts out his hand, and I can't help but smile at how polite he is.

"Hi Lena." He smiles.

"Hi! How are you?" Lena asks, smiling as well.

"I'm good, thank you for asking. Thank you for bringing Callie to pick me up." He says.

"It's no problem. I'm happy to." She says.

"Lena is the vice principal at my school." I tell Jude.

"Really?" He asks.

Lena nods.

"I wish I could go there. I want to next year." He says.

"You will bud. You're doing really good with tutoring." I assure.

"I guess. I don't really like it that much. Mrs. Greene is confusing sometimes." He admits.

I turn around. "You never told me that. We could find you a new tutor."

"You know, I could tutor you. I could pick you up on our way home and we could study at our house, that way you can be with Callie when she comes over." Lena offers.

I turn to look at her. "Really? I don't want you to feel like you have to."

"I was a teacher too once, I actually enjoy helping students. I'd love to help Jude get into Anchor Beach next year." She reassures.

"Thank you so much, Lena. Jude?" I question, asking what he thinks about the offer.

Jude smiles wide, and nods his head up and down.

We reach the our house, and say goodbye to Lena, thanking her again.

I could always use this as an excuse now to go to the Foster's house, and for that I was greatful.

"Hey, Jude. If Liam asks, just tell him that Lena is my friend Mariana's mom. Which she is, just don't say anything about Brandon." I explain.

"Okay, but why?" He questions.

"I don't think he really likes Brandon." Is all I say.

It seems to be enough for Jude, and we go inside.

Later that night, as I'm getting dressed to go to bed, Liam storms in. I quickly hold the shirt to cover my bra.

"I'm changing! What?" I almost yell, and I could already tell he was angry about something.

"I went to pick up your little rat of a brother and they said you already got him. I was on my way and you both wasted my time!" He yells.

"You were an hour late! Maybe we would have known you were coming to get him if you would have answered his call. And don't you dare call him a rat!" I argue back.

I was livid.

"Don't yell at me!" Liam barks.

"Then you don't yell at me!" I say.

He then pulls the shirt out of my hand and grabs my shoulders in a death grip. I feel my face turn a shade of bright red and I feel completely vulnerable.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you're acting like a real bitch and I don't like it."

I squirm under his hands, but it seems to only make it worse.

"Liam you're hurting me! Stop!"

Liam scoffs, then shoves me towards the bed. I hit the back of my ankle on the metal bed frame and try to hide my wince of pain.

"Hope you've been having fun with Brandon. Slut." He says before walking out

I want to move but I can't. I can hear my blood in my ears and my heart feels like it's about to beat out of my chest. Once I finally am able to move my body, I reach down for my shirt shakily then look in the mirror. The hand marks on my shoulder are even worse than the ones on my arm, that still look brand new. I brush my hand over my shoulder and wince. I can feel blood on my ankle, and I clean it off in the bathroom before getting into bed.

_This is as good as it gets._

_This is the only guy that will ever truly love you. _

_You deserve this. _

_This is your fault. _

My head spins until I drift off to sleep.

**A/N: So the next chapter is basically Jude's first time at the Foster's house, then I'm doing the small time jump of like a month to two months just to get to the part that I had originally imagined. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy.**


	5. Chapter 5

Starting that Tuesday, Jude began his tutoring with Lena, and I was just happy to be able to still go to the Foster's house. Liam didn't question the story of Mariana's mom being his tutor, and what he didn't know couldn't hurt. At least for now. Jude captured everyone's hearts the moment he jumped into the car, but that was no surprise.

"Jude, you remember Lena. This is Mariana, Jesus, and Brandon." I introduced.

"Hi Lena! And it's nice to meet all of you guys." Jude said, a smile from ear to ear.

I put my arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer to my side. I was so happy to be with him and the Foster's, although I felt guilty. For lying to Liam, and for not being with him, but I brushed it off, kissing the top of Jude's head.

We pulled into the drive way, and one by one, everyone got out. Jude looked at the Fosters house with wide eyes.

"Your house is so pretty!" He exclaimed, looking at Lena.

"Well thank you, Jude. We'd hope so." Lena smiled.

Once inside, Lena and Jude broke off into the kitchen and I'd never seen Jude more excited to do school work. I leaned against the door frame, just watching.

"He's okay, you know, with Lena." Brandon said, sneaking up behind me.

"I know, but it's still hard for me to let others help him." I reply.

"I gotta practice some piano for a little while, but Mari is upstairs in her room." He says.

I nod and follow him upstairs. It would be nice to have a girl friend, for all the stuff I couldn't tell Brandon. I reach Mariana's door and knock, even though it's open.

"Hey, uh, Brandon has to practice and he said you were up here. Want some company?" I ask.

Mariana smiles, and it's somehow infectious.

"Sure! You any good at English, though? I'm more of a math and science person." She asks.

"I can look at it, but I'm not sure how much help I'll be. What's the assignment?"

"We're reading To Kill A Mockingbird. It's just some discussion questions we have to answer, but it's asking for the deeper meaning, and I sure as hell can't figure it out." She replies.

"I read To Kill a Mockingbird last year." I say, sitting down on the bed next to her, skimming the paper as well.

I read the first question.

"_Analyze the trial scene and its relationship to the rest of the novel."_

"Well this first one is pretty simple. The novel as a whole basically describes innocence, or loss of, and harsh experiences. Tom Robinson's trial shows the racial prejudice that went on, especially towards an innocent man. Harper Lee is able to use the trial to bring those ideas as the focus, especially after the trial. It all ties together in that way, I guess. Innocence and racial prejiduce." I say.

"Damn girl. You're smart." Mariana says, quickly scribbling down what I said.

"Don't act so surprised." I reply, and notice Mariana's face fall.

"I'm kidding, don't worry. But thank you. You're smart too, though. You could kick my ass in any math related questions." I add.

Mariana's smile is back, as well as mine.

We go through the final questions fairly quickly, and Mariana seems to have a better understanding of the novel now. I feel pretty good that I was able to help.

"Thanks, Callie. You ever need any help in math, I've got you." She says, putting her stuff back into her bookbag.

"I'm holding you to that, geometry is gonna kill me."

Mariana smiles.

"Okay, I've been dying to know where you got those jeans from." She asks.

"Uhh, good question actually. Goodwill probably." I laugh.

"Hey, they've got some pretty good stuff there, and I find really good brands for like, three dollars. You can't beat that." She says.

I'm glad she didn't look at me weird. I barely had money for a toothbrush let alone any clothes, but the Olmstead's had bought us some since we'd gotten there.

"Jude's really sweet." Mariana says.

I smile. "Yea, he is pretty great."

"You guys seem really close." She adds.

"He's pretty much all I've had for all these years." I shrug.

"That's how Jesus and I were, well are. He's always the first person I go to for anything, even now." She replies.

"How long were you in the system?" I ask carefully, hoping it was too much.

"A couple years, we were really lucky that we were brought to our mom's police station. That's how we ended up here." Mariana answers. "How about you?"

"About seven years now." I say, taking a deep breath.

I hoped more than anything to end up in a house just like this. But the Olmstead's were kind of like my family, right?

"Dinner is ready, everyone!" Stef calls up the stairs, and Mariana and I go downstairs.

The table is full, well more full than usual with me and Jude of course. I go up to Jude and wrap my arms around him.

"How was tutoring?" I ask.

"It was great! Lena's really smart and nice!" He says, smiling at Lena, who returns one.

It made me happy to see him so happy, and right then is when I vowed to not do anything to ruin this, even if that meant dealing with Liam and all his glory.

"Callie, you've got a lovely little brother here." Stef says as she sits down next to Jesus.

I smile. "He's pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself.

Jude blushes, and I rub his knee under the table.

Jude was a ray of sunshine, and I was happy everyone in this family could see the same greatness I saw.

We finished dinner, Jude talking almost non-stop, and Stef offered to drive us home.

"It was nice to meet all of you! See you soon!" He says and gets his stuff together.

"Sorry we didn't hang out much today, I'm trying to get into lessons with this crazy hard piano teacher." Brandon says as I get my shoes on.

"Don't worry about it. I helped Mariana with her homework and we talked. I had fun." I smile, lacing up my beat up converse.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school then." He says then goes upstairs.

"See ya." I say, following Jude and Stef out the door.

**GUYSSSS. I'm so sorry. My computer crapped out on me and I didn't get any money to buy one until recently. I'm not done with this story, and I have a lot of things I still want to do! It's summer now, too. Thanks for sticking around you guys are the best. **


	6. Chapter 6

It had been almost a month since Jude started tutoring, and being at the Foster's house so often had made mine and Jude's life so much better. Stef and Lena were nothing but amazing to the both of us.

Things at the Olmstead's were the same as usual, Liam lashing out at me for stupid things, but then apologizing. It had become a routine at this point, and I didn't even bat an eye anymore. Last night he pinned me against the wall with my hands above my head because he was angry that my phone had died, but it was worth it to see Jude as happy as he was, even though he was oblivious to what was really going on.

The Foster's were having a barbeque, but Jude decided to stay back. His stomach had been acting up for a few days, and I felt bad leaving him while he was sick, but I couldn't be by Liam anymore. Not today, at least.

"Thanks for having me. Your whole family is really great." I say to Lena and the the rest of them as I grab my jacket to leave.

"You're welcome sweetie. Tell Jude we missed him and that we hope he feels better." Lena says, giving me a tight hug.

It hurts like hell, but I hide my pain well.

"That'll make his day. I'll tell him."

With that, Stef and I headed out to the car. We drove in silence for a couple minutes until she pulled over suddenly.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, worridly.

"I don't know, love. You tell me." She says, glancing over at me.

I panic. What was she talking about?

"Uh, I'm not sure I follow." I reply.

"Brandon's been worried about you, and frankly so are me and Lena. He told us he's seen a few bruises on your arms, and I'm just checking in on you." She says.

My chest tightens.

"Sometimes me and Jude wrestle and get a little more out of control than we think. It's nothing, really." I say quickly, using anything I could think of to cover this up.

I wanted to tell Stef. Oh God did I want to tell her, but I couldn't risk getting taken out of the Olmstead's house. And not being with Liam scared me, as weird as that sounds.

"Jude's a pretty small kid, Callie. And the bruises Brandon describes don't look like they could come from him." Stef replies.

I don't reply. There was nothing more to say.

"I just want you to know that you can come to me or Lena if you ever need anything. We're here for you and Jude." Stef says.

She scribbles something down on a piece of paper and hands it to me.

"Here's mine and Lena's number. If you need anything, you call us." She says.

"Thank you." I reply, sticking the paper in my back pocket.

* * *

"Now, let's getcha home."

* * *

I go inside and to my room, only to see Liam sitting on my bed. This could go one of two ways. I lift my eyebrows at him, in an effort to question what he was doing in there.

"You failed to mention that Mariana was Brandon's sister, didn't you?" He says coldly, and my heart falls from my chest. "Yea, you're little brother here accidentally ratted you out."

"Liam-" I begin until he cuts me off.

"Save it. I knew you couldn't be trusted. He your little boyfriend now? You guys making out in his little teenage boy bedroom?"

"It's nothing like that! I already told you, we're just friends! YOU'RE the one taking it out of proportion." I argue.

"I wouldn't have to if you stopped lying." He remarks.

"I wouldn't have to lie if you didn't act like this 90 percent of the time." I say, instantly regretting it.

Liam launches up off the bed and shuts the door, slamming me against it. "What are you implying?"

"Just forget it, Liam. Nevermind. You're right and I'm wrong. I shouldn't have lied. I won't talk to Brandon anymore if that's what you want." I surrender.

"That's better." He says, releasing his hold against my chest.

I let out a deep breath.

"Now gimme a kiss." Liam demands.

I do as he says, considering this could have ended a lot worse. He exits my room, and I go towards my bed. I pull out the paper Stef handed me, and contemplate calling. I ultimately decide against it. It wasn't worth it. I slip it into my nightstand and pull out my pajamas. I look at myself I the mirror as I get dressed. My body is a mix of blue and purple, but that wasn't any different than most other foster homes. The only difference in this one is that Jude didn't even have one, and that's what mattered anyways. I trace my collar bones, and it hurts slightly at the touch. I wince silently, than finish getting dressed.

I head back to my bed and see my phone light up with a text from Brandon. I dismiss the message and plug my phone into the charger. It takes everything in me to not call him or Stef or Lena and tell them everything, to get me out of this hell of a life. I brush away the thought almost immediately. This life wasn't all bad. We were fed, and for the most part cared for. What kind of person was I to dwell on that? This is the best we have ever been placed in, and probably the best it will ever get. It was selfish to complain, and I wouldn't be selfish. Not anymore. I turn onto my side, but it hurts. I spend most of the night tossing and turning, trying to find a position that caused the least amount of pain, and eventually, I fall asleep.

**I've got the next chapter written, but I'm not sure when I'm going to post it. I also have up until 8 done and half of 9 as well. This was more of a filler chapter which is why it's so short. I know that technically, as a teacher Lena is supposed to report suspected abuse, and Stef probably as well, but it didn't fit to do that right now. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This is when the rape happens, it's not graphic, but I thought I'd just put a warning just in case. I know it's a touchy subject.**

It had been 2 weeks since I had been to the Foster's, and 2 weeks since I'd spoken to any of them. Liam dropped me and Jude off at school and picked us up everyday. Jude was confused as to why Lena couldn't be his tutor anymore, and all I could tell him was that Olivia liked his old tutor better. He was crushed, and frankly, so was I. I missed spending time with Brandon and the rest of the family. I especially needed Mariana's help on this geometry unit, but in no way was I letting Liam have any more reason to be angry. I couldn't risk it. Even though I had cut the Foster's out of my life, Liam was still mad about every little thing. Lately, he had taken to insulting my looks and my body and anything else.

I haven't eaten in 3 days.

I spend most days alone or with Jude, but I barely had the energy to do anything with him, and I felt awful. But he didn't seem to notice. He had new friends at school, and spent a lot of time with them. I was glad that he was finally fitting in.

I lay in bed playing candy crush on my phone. It's silent until a loud growl comes from my stomach, breaking that silence. I ignore it. Maybe if I didn't eat, Liam wouldn't have anything to insult.

Or maybe I would just disappear.

Either was ideal.

I put my phone down and head to the kitchen. I grab a glass from the cabinet with shaking hands, but I'm careful not to drop it. I down a few glasses of water, and chew on some ice chunks. I go back up to my room, the glass in hand. I lay back down in the bed and close my eyes, embracing the silence. It was a rare occasion that I was alone.

That silence was gone when I heard the front door open and shut. The steps coming up the stairs were heavy and loud, and I could already tell whose they were.

Liam waks into my room, a sly smile on his face. I sit up and look back at him. A smile from him could be decieving.

"Yes?" I question.

He comes in, shutting the door behind him.

"So I was thinking." He begins.

"Okay...?" I say, confused and urging him to continue.

"We've been together for months. I think it's about time we go further." He finally says.

I look at him with wide eyes and confusion.

"Sex, dumb ass." He says, slight anger in his voice.

"Yea I got that, but Liam I don't know." I reply.

I really wasn't ready. I was only 15, and it was supposed to be special the first time you did it. I didn't feel like it would be special with him.

"What do you mean you don't know? Don't you love me?" He asks, inching closer to my bed.

I sit up. I hesitate to answer, which apparently pisses him off.

"Well?"

"Yes, Liam. I love you." I ultimately say, swallowing my pride.

"Well then come on. No one's home." He coaxes.

"Liam, I really don't think I'm ready. Not yet at least." I answer honestly.

"Well, that really sucks doesn't it." He says, pulling his shirt off and throwing it on the floor.

My body tenses, and my blood runs cold.

"Liam-" I begin, but I'm stopped with him pushing me down on to the bed, causing me to hit my head on the wall in the process.

"Shut up and take your shirt off." He demands.

I stayed frozen, and I could tell my eyes were filled with fear.

Liam pulls my shirt off and throws it by his.

"What, are you shy?" He antagonizes.

He continues pulling off his clothes and mine, and I clench my eyes shut. I hold back my screams and my tears. That would only make him more angry.

The whole thing is terrifying. When he's done, he gets dressed, leaving me petrified on the bed.

"Not bad." He mutters as he leaves the room.

I stay still on my bed. I find it hard to move. I want to cry and I want to scream. I want someone to save me from this. I hear Liam's car pull out of the driveway. I don't know where he's going, but I'm thankful he's gone. I stand up slowly, heading to my dresser to grab clean clothes then go across the hall to the bathroom. I look in the mirror and a sob escapes my mouth. I look at my body in the mirror. My face was sunken in and my entire body is sore. I feel dirty. I climb into the shower, making the water as hot as I could take. Steam fills the bathroom and all I can do is cry. I scrub my body for what seems like hours, but I could still feel his touch everytime I moved. My hands are still shaking, and I hate myself for being so weak. I get out of the shower and dry myself off.

My stomach is empty, but I vomit into the toilet somehow.

I lean back against the wall in my towel with my face in my hands.

I can't believe I let this happen. I didn't even have the energy to fight him off. Even if I did, I probably wouldn't have.

I stand up and get dressed. Brushing my teeth is another lengthy process. Once I finish, I head back to my room and look at my clothes scattered across the floor and the bed sheets all a mess. Tears begin to fall again, and I pick up my clothes and strip my bed. I throw the clothes into the garbage can and I throw my bed set into the washing machine. I couldn't throw that out too, because I had no other blankets. I go back into my room, I flip the mattress and sit down. I eye my phone and my nightstand, knowing full well that I could call Stef, Lena or Brandon. I reach for it until Jude comes into my room. I pull my hand back.

"Hey bud. I didn't even hear you come in." I say.

"Yea. Where's all your bed stuff?" He asks.

"I spilled some juice on it so I needed to wash it. How was Joey's house?" I ask, changing the subject.

Jude tells me about his day, and I force out a smile. I spend as much time with him today as possible, and try my best to not think about what just happened, although I know that's impossible.

At least I was good at faking smiles.

**Thank you for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

It's been a week since the first time.

It's happened twice since then.

Almost every time we're alone.

I walk through school, my arms crossed against my chest, rubbing my shoulders. I shiver. My sweater hangs off my body, but I like it that way. It made me feel small, and feeling small was good. It made me closer to disappearing.

I was on my second day of not eating. I go three days, then eat a little for two. It keeps going like that.

It was working though, I had lost 15 pounds.

My jeans hang off my hips like a blanket.

At lunch, I avoid the lunch area as much as possible. I go back into the building to go into the bathroom, but I find myself getting dizzy. Please not here. I lean against the wall, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath or two in order to get myself together. It works for a minute, and I continue walking until it comes back 10 times stronger. I feel myself sway from side to side, and I put my hand on the wall and collapse against it.

"Callie!" Someone yells.

The voice is all too familiar.

Lena.

I don't know whether to be angry or happy.

She crouches down next to me.

"Callie can you hear me?" She asks.

I hear her loud and clear but I keep my eyes closed and keep my head in my knees.

"Come on, let's go to my office." She says, holding on to my arm, trying to pull me up.

My body feels heavy, but I stand up anyways.

Ironic.

Lena wraps her arm around my waist and we walk the semi short walk to her office. I sit down and she shuts the door.

"Callie what's going on?" Lena asks.

I shake my head from side to side.

"You haven't been over in weeks. Brandon says you haven't spoken to him either."

I close my eyes again. I squeeze them so tight. Maybe it will make me invisible.

"Callie please. What's going on? Have you eaten?" She asks with concern.

My eyes fill with tears for some reason, but I don't let them fall. I can't be weak. Not right now.

"I'm gonna call your foster parents, maybe they or Liam can pick you up." She says with defeat after I don't reply.

I snap my head up, instantly becoming dizzy.

"No!"

Liam didn't have school today. He'd pick me up and then we'd be alone. I couldn't do it today.

Lena immediately stands up and comes back to my side, crouching again to be at eye level.

"Callie, why don't you want me to call them?" She asks sternly.

I don't reply. I just shake my head vigorously.

"Callie, if there's something going on at home you can tell me. You can trust me. I'm not your vice principal right now, okay? Please. We're all so worried about you." She says.

That was it.

The tears fall from my face.

"Please don't make me go back there with him. I don't want to be alone with him, please!" I cry out.

I look at Lena through the tears in my eyes. Everything is blurry.

"Who don't you want to be alone with, Callie?" She asks seriously.

I let out another batch of tears. I don't want to say his name. I don't want his name in my mouth right now.

"Callie, please. I just want to help you." Lena begs.

"Liam. He's the only one home and I-" I begin, but then I lose my breath,

Lena gets up and gets some water out of the fridge behind her desk. She hands it to me.

"Breathe. Breathe and drink some water." She advises.

I do as she says and we sit for a moment until I calm down a little bit.

Lena breaks the silence.

"Callie, does Liam hurt you?" She asks carefully.

I swallow, and a tear falls down my face.

"My whole body. It hurts." I confess.

Lena looks up at me, then places her hand on my sleeve.

"May I?" She asks, asking if she can pull up my sleeve.

I nod, and she pulls it up carefully. It hurts. It hurts a lot, actually, and I don't know why. I look at my arm and it's an ugly mix of blue and purple, spread out the entire length of my arm.

Lena gasps, and looks up.

"Callie how long has this been happening?"

I think about lying, but there was no point anyways. I was already going to be out of the house, far away from here. Far away from the Foster's as well.

"Months." I answer honestly.

Lena curses at herself and I tense. I can tell she's angry at herself for something.

She moves on to my right arm, just for the sleeve to be pulled back and reveal almost the same thing. She pulls the sweater down by my shoulder to check there too, and to her avail, there were marks there too.

"Callie, this is very serious." Lena reminds.

I take a deep breath. I began bruising more once I stopped eating, which made it look even worse, or just revealed more of the truth.

"You can't stay in that house anymore. I'm calling your social worker right now. This isn't okay, Callie." Lena says, carefully grabbing my hand.

"But Jude..." I begin, but trail off.

"What about Jude?" She asks.

"Jude isn't being hurt. Jude is safe if you call Bill then-" Lena cuts me off.

"But look at yourself, sweetheart. Jude is safe, but you aren't. This could get even worse." She says.

I sigh.

"It's gonna be okay. I'm going to call Stef. She can file a report." Lena adds.

My breath catches in my throat. Stef is gonna be so dissappointed.

Lena goes off and calls Stef, and I sit with my thoughts.

It seems like only minutes later, Stef is in Lena's office too.

It's a party now.

"Oh, love..." She starts.

"I know you gave me your numbers but-" I begin, but then don't know what to say.

"Don't apologize. It must have been scary, you're gonna be okay now. It's all gonna be okay." She promises.

She tells me she needs to take photos of me. For evidence.

"I know taking your shirt off is awkward, but I'll be really fast." Stef says.

I hesitate. Only Liam has seen that, and I was ashamed.

I pull it off anyways, slowly. I hear both Stef and Lena gasp from behind me. I didn't know how bad it actually looked. It had become the norm for me to see everyday. I do know my shoulders and hips probably look the worst, as well as my wrists. Stef takes the photos and I put my shirt back on. I begin to cry.

"Callie, you're stick think." Lena says.

"Love, look at me. We're gonna help you, okay? Just trust us, please." Stef says, lifting my chin up.

"Th-there's more." I say.

I couldn't hide it anymore.

"More bruises or more to the story?" Lena asks.

"Both, I guess." I admit.

They get on both sides of me and grab my hands. I close my eyes and take a deep breath,

Was it rape? I mean, we were kind of together.

"I- I think he's raped me. Three times." I say.

**Hope you guys liked it! Thank you for reading! **


	9. Chapter 9

"Callie, what do you mean you_ think_ he raped you?" Stef asks.

"When we first got there, he was really nice to me and treated me like I-like I was special. We had a thing, I guess? I just liked the attention. But then he got mean and controlling, but he was still nice sometimes. He would apologize. But lately, everyime we're alone he comes in the room and he...he ya know. But I guess I was leading him on, at least that's what he says. Is it rape if we're together? I don't know." I say, almost entirely in one breath.

I was so confused.

"Callie, you could be dating for years, even married, but if you say the word no, or if you don't say anything but yes, it's rape. You did nothing wrong. You did not lead him on. You didn't owe him anything." Lena says, looking me right in the eye.

"Have you been to a doctor?" Stef asks.

I shake my head. How would I get to a doctor?

"Lena can you leave now? Or do you have things to do?" Stef asks.

"Nothing that can't wait. I'll call Bill and we'll meet you there." Lena replies.

"Jude." I say.

"Me and Bill will get him. We'll figure everything out, okay? Just go with Stef." Lena says, brushing her hands through my hair.

Stef puts her hand out. I hesitate to grab it, but I do. I trust her. I trust them.

"Hop in, love." Stef said, unlocking and opening my door.

I never realized how much I missed the Foster's until this moment.

We both get in and it's fairly quiet at first, until I finally say something.

"I wanted to call. I almost did. But I couldn't bring myself to do it." I admit.

"Sweets, I know it must have been scary. I understand. Of course I wish you would have called, but we can't dwell on the past. We must just live now. We're here for you." She says, placing her hand softly on my leg.

I immediately pull away, not meaning to. It was instinct now.

"I'm sorry." I say quietly, dropping my head and looking away.

"No, I'm sorry. I know you're shaken up." She replies.

The rest of the ride is silent for the most part, minus the quiet sound of the radio. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths.

It was finally over.

I try to forget about where we may be placed next, because at least for now, this was over.

We get to the hospital, and Stef tells me to sit down as she talks to the woman at the front desk. Seconds into their conversationm, the woman looks at me with sad eyes. I look away. I was humiliated. I was ashamed. I was angry.

I'm supposed to be strong.

I'm not strong anymore.

I'm broken.

Stef comes back and sits down with me.

"They're gonna get you in as soon as possible, they said it shouldnt be very long." Stef says.

I nod my head but I don't look at her.

We wait until my name is called. I get up, and Stef says she'll wait out there. I felt relieved. I didn't want her to hear all the details. I follow the nurse back to a room, well really an area with a curtain. The nurse shuts the curtain and tells me to lay back. She checks my vitals and goes through all the routine things, and gives me a sympathetic look before leaving. I'm alone again, until a woman with short brown hair walks in.

"Hi Callie, I'm Dr. Sinclair." She says, extending her arm to me.

I lift my arm up to reach hers. I have little to no grip on her hand.

"I'm just going to give you a routine exam. I'll check for any STD's, give you an emergency contraceptive, and check of any signs of early pregnancy. Then when that's done, we can do a rape kit. If you get uncomfortable at all, just tell me, and I'll stop." She says with a warm tone.

I nod and close my eyes as she begins. I begin to breathe heavily and I open my eyes.

"Stop. Please Stop." I say, my eyes filling with tears.

The doctor stops immediately.

"Stef." I say.

"I'm sorry?" The doctor says.

"I want Stef in here." I say between breaths.

She opens the curtain, telling a nurse to go get Stef.

Moments later, Stef pulls back the curtain and comes to my side.

"I-Will you hold my hand?" I ask with embarrassment.

"Of course, love." She grabs my hand and I squeeze it as hard as I can, which still wasn't very hard.

Tears begin to fall down my face, and I gave up trying to stop it. I feel Stef's hand on my cheek, wiping away as many as she can. I squeeze her hand even tighter.

"We're all finished here, the results will all be done within at least 48 hours. We do need to keep Callie here overnight at least. There are x-rays that need to be done and she appears to be malnourished." Dr. Sinclair says.

I nod my head, because that's all I can ever do.

"I'm going to go find Lena and Bill, and hopefully Jude and talk with them then we'll come to wherever your room is." Stef tells me.

I didn't want to be alone, but I agree. I wonder if Liam knew about this. He was probably so angry.

As if Stef can read my mind, she looks back at me.

"Liam's been taken into custody, if that makes you feel a little bitter." She says before leaving.

I take a deep breath.

I'm wheeled through the hospital and in the elevator. I'm taken for a few x-rays, then into the pediatric ward. I'm hooked up to tons of wires, and the IV hurts when being put in. Was it supposed to? Who knows. The doctor talks to me, but I don't understand, or I just zone out.

I'm way too exhausted.

This was exhausting.

Life was exhausting.

I seem to doze off, until I hear a knock on the door. It was quiet, but I had become a very light sleeper. I see Lena standing in the doorway.

"Hi sweetheart, how are you feeling?" She asks, entering the room.

I shrug. I felt nothing.

"Jude is out in the waiting room and he can't wait to see you, but I wanted to talk to you first." She says.

"What does he know?" I ask, sitting up.

"Just that Liam was hurting you. He doesn't know about the other stuff. We figured you wouldn't want us to be telling him." She replies.

"Thank you." I say.

"So you wanna see your brother?" She asks, smiling.

I force a smile out, and nod.

I get excited, but I can't help the gut wrenching feeling in my stomach.

**As usual thank you for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

I lay in my bed anxiously as Lena goes to get Jude. I didn't know what to expect, he had a right to feel anything about the situation. Every time I hear footsteps approaching my room, I hold my breath. It feels like ages until I see Jude run through the door. I see Lena in the hallway, who points to the lobby to tell me she'll be there. I'm grateful she is letting us be alone.

"Hi, baby." I say quietly.

I still can't tell what he's feeling.

He walks closer to my bed and grabs my hand.

He looks up and down my arm.

"Why would you let him do this, Callie? Why didn't you tell me? Or Bill?" He asks.

"Jude I just wanted to protect you. You were finally safe and happy, I just-" I begin explaining.

Jude cuts me off.

"But you weren't! You're my big sister, it isn't worth being safe and happy if you aren't." He says.

A lump forms in my throat.

"I'm sorry. Protecting you is the only thing I have some control over, and you know I'd do anything to make sure you were protected." I say.

"I don't want to lose you." Jude says, looking down at his feet.

"You will never, _ever_ lose me, Jude. I'm always gonna be here for you, why would you ever think I wouldn't?" I ask.

"Liam could have killed you if you kept letting him do this to you. When Lena told me, all I could think of the entire ride was how happy I was you told because if you didn't, who knows what could have happened. I was so scared. All I could think about were what if's." He explains.

"I'm okay Jude. I'm not leaving you, so don't even let those what if's bother you. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." I reply.

"But you're not okay! You're in the hospital and you're hurt. I hate seeing you like this. It never gets easier, Callie." He almost yells.

"I'm sorry, Jude. I'm so sorry."

That's all I can get out.

I feel so guilty.

"Where are we gonna go?" He asks, quietly.

"I don't know. But wherever we end up, we'll be together, right?" I ask, forcing out a smile.

Jude nods.

"Come here." I say, scooting over in my bed.

"But what if I hurt you?" He asks.

"You won't. It'll make me feel better. You always make me feel better." I assure with another forced smile.

He hesitates, but eventually crawls in next to me. I kiss his head, and bury my face in his hair and close my eyes.

We lay like this for a while until Lena and Stef walk in, Bill not far behind.

"Hi, Callie." He says, nodding his head at me.

I nod back.

"How are you feeling?" He asks.

"Where are we going next?" I ask, getting straight to the point.

I didn't want small talk.

"Well, that's what I came in to talk about with you. Stef and Lena have agreed to take both you and Jude in." Bill replies.

Jude and I sit up.

"Really?" Jude asks, a smile spreading across his face.

I can't even form words.

I'd have a break, a place where I wouldn't have to worry about anything.

"I will be picking up your things from the Olmstead's house tomorrow morning and bringing it by. I've already given Stef and Lena your files. I'm really sorry about everything, Callie." He says, before waving goodbye and leaving.

I look up at Stef and Lena.

"Thank you." Are the only words I can croak out.

"You don't have to thank us, we just want you guys to be safe, and the only way we could make sure that you were was if you were under our roof." Lena says with a smile.

Jude gets off the bed and hugs Lena and then Stef.

Stef winks at me.

"Why don't I go get us all food? I can get something that isn't hospital food." Lena suggests.

"Can I come?" Jude asks.

"Sure bud, I could use the extra hands, but what do we want?" Lena answers.

"Why don't you pick up a few burgers and salads from that place down the street?" Stef says.

Lena agrees and begins putting what everyone wants in her phone.

The thought of food makes my stomach turn, plus, it wasn't an eating day, and I can't remember the last time I had a full on meal anyways.

"Callie?" Lena says, waiting for me to tell her what I want.

"I-uh I'm not hungry right now." I say, my eyes not looking up.

"We need you to eat something, love. How about just a cheeseburger and a chopped salad?" Stef suggests.

I want to argue, but I can't do it, so I just nod my head.

Lena and Jude leave to get the food, leaving me and Stef alone.

Stef comes near my bed, pulling a chair up next to it.

"I'm gonna ask you something, and I need you to answer me honestly, okay?" She says.

I can feel myself tense up.

"When was the last time you ate?" She asks.

I swallow.

"This morning." I lie.

"Callie." Stef says with a tone that doesn't sit well in my stomach.

I hesitate.

"Callie, please." Stef pushes again.

"Tuesday." I finally say after having a mini battle inside my brain.

"Callie, honey. That was two days ago." Stef says, and I can hear the sadness in her voice.

I look at her and swallow. I did not want to have this conversation.

I didn't want to be weak.

I didn't want to stop.

"We were looking through your file, and at your last doctors appointment you weighed 119 pounds, and now you're 104. This isn't healthy, Callie." Stef continues.

I can't get myself to answer her.

"Please, let us help you. You trust us, right?" She asks after I don't reply, again.

I feel tears in my eyes. I close them, but one tear escapes. I take a deep breath, and wipe it off my cheek.

"Love, talk to me. You aren't alone." Stef says.

"I can't." I say.

"You can't what?" Stef asks.

"I can't talk to you about it." I answer.

"You can talk to me about anything, love. Me or Lena." Stef says, rubbing her hand on mine.

"No. I can't because then I'll have to stop. I can't stop. I can't." I admit, my voice cracking.

There's something about Stef and Lena that make me crack. Something about them that makes me want to let down my walls and tell them everything.

It's a blessing and a curse.

"Why can't you?" Stef asks.

"The smaller I am the closer I am to disappearing. If I disappear then he can't get to me. He can't hurt me. No one can." I say, not looking her in the face.

I'm about to loose it.

The floodgates are about to burst.

"Love..." Stef begins, and that's when it happens.

I look at Stef, and the somehow un-shed tears fall, and there's nothing I can do.

Stef grabs my hand with both of hers.

"He won't get to you ever again, you hear me? He can't hurt you, and I won't let anyone else hurt you. Disappearing is not the answer. Don't let him win, my love. There's more for you out there, I promise. Life is a beautiful, _beautiful _thing. Don't give up on it just yet. It's going to turn around for you, but you have to let us help you, let us in." Stef says, squeezing my hands.

All I can do is nod. My head is done creating sentences. Words, even.

"Just promise me that you'll try. That's all I ask of you, okay?" Stef asks, causing me to look over at her again.

"I'll try." I assure.

I hope that I don't let her down.

I hope I don't let Jude down.

I hope I don't let anyone down.

"Come here." Stef says, opening her arms.

I sit up and allow myself into her embrace.

I feel so safe, a feeling I haven't had in so long.

My arms are limp on Stef's back, but Stef's grip is strong and comforting.

We pull apart, and Stef wipes the strands of hair off my face and kisses my forehead. Soon enough, Lena and Jude return with the food.

It's overwhelming, but Stef grabs my hand and I do what I said. I try.

**As always, thank you for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

"We're all set to go. You ready, love?" Stef asks.

I stand up from the bed and nod. Stef puts her arm gently around my shoulders and we walk out. There were no signs of early pregnancy and all the STD tests came back negative, and for that I was thankful.

I see Lena and Jude in the waiting room. Lena was filling out a last minute paper, with Jude close to her side. He looks up at me and I smile, and for the first time in a while, it wasn't forced. Lena finishes and gives the receptionist a smile as she hands her the clipboard and pen.

The ride home is quiet, but not awkward. We pull into the driveway and I start getting nervous. I hadn't spoken to Brandon, Jesus or Mariana in almost a month. Stef can sense my hesitation, but gives me a reassuring smile. I unbuckle my seat belt.

"We set up your stuff in Mariana's room. Jude is in Jesus'," Lena says as she unlocks the door.

I nod and breathe in. I half expected them to be in the living room, but knowing Stef and Lena, I'm sure they told them to give me space.

I go upstairs to Mariana's room, which I guess is now mine as well. I walk in to see Mariana on her bed. She turns her attention from her episode of One Tree Hill to me. She quickly pulls out her headphones and stands up.

She wraps her arms around me, and I stiffen initially at the contact, then hug her back.

"I'm so glad you guys are staying here. We all missed you guys a lot," She says as she pulls away.

"Yea, I missed you guy too," I reply as I brush hair out of my face.

"I cleared some dresser space for you. Your stuff is in the bottom two drawers and some is in the closet, " She tells me, pointing to each.

I nod and set my bag down on my bed.

"And uh Callie, I'm really glad you're okay," Mariana adds with a small smile.

I return an awkward smile and motion towards Brandon's room. I walk out and quietly knock on Brandon's door. I hear a quiet come in and slowly open his door.

Brandon is laying on his beat reading a book. He sits up when he see's me, though.

"Hey," Is all I can get out.

"Hi," He replies.

"I'm sorry for cutting you out of my life. He...Liam...was jealous and I was scared," I begin.

"You don't have to apologize. I'm not mad. I'm glad you're away from him. You and Jude."

"So, how's your piano been going? With your teacher, I mean," I ask.

"He's still satan, if that's what you're asking," He nods.

* * *

I laugh. I really did miss having a friend.

I make my return to school today. The morning is a rush. I had never experienced so many people moving around each other. While Mariana is in the shower, I slip on a pair of jeans and a sweater like usual.

My body still hurts.

I make my way downstairs to see Stef and Lena moving swiftly throughout the kitchen, placing plates on the table. Jude and Jesus are already sitting at the table.

"Good morning, love," Stef says, making her way towards me

"You sure you're ready to go back to school?" She asks.

I nod silently. I had to get over it, right?

"Okay. Also, I want you to at least eat an egg and a piece of fruit, sound good?" She questions, but I can tell it's more of an order.

I nod my head again. Stef and Lena were giving me a couple weeks, but if I didn't begin improving, they were going to set me up with a dietician.

Stef puts her hand on my shoulder and kisses my forehead before walking away to get Brandon and Mariana.

I sit down next to Jude, kissing his head. Lena hands me a plate with some scrambled egg on it and I reach to grab an orange.

I distract myself as I eat by talking to Jesus and Jude. If I thought too much about the food I would stop. In a matter of minutes, everyone is in the kitchen. Brandon and Mariana sit down across from me. Stef is dressed in her uniform, holding a cup of coffee and a piece of bacon. Lena is sipping a class of orange juice.

I continue to nibble on my food, but as I reach the last bites, I can't seem to do it anymore. I look at Stef and Lena with pleading eyes. They nod and I throw the last few bites of eggs into the garbage and put my plate into the sink.

Soon, everyone is piling into the car. I fidget with my hands in the back seat until we reach the school. We all jump out, and Lena comes to my side.

"If you need anything, you come find me, okay?" She says.

* * *

"Okay," I agree and walk towards my first class.

I go through my first few classes like normal. In English, they had started a documentary. I figured we were going to write something about it sooner or later, but I found my eyes continuing to drift from the screen. I hadn't slept much in the past few days. I put my face in my hands and closed my eyes.

I should have known that was a bad idea.

I see him when I close my eyes.

I feel my breath catch in my throat, then turn into short puffs. I felt hot and I thought my chest was going to explode.

I can feel people staring at me, but everything is blurry and muffled. I stand up and without asking, walk out of the room. I can hear someone follow me out, I'm assuming Timothy.

"Callie!" He calls, picking up his pace to catch up with me.

I keep walking until I feel his hand on my shoulder.

I flinch.

"Don't touch me!" I yell and continue walking.

I needed air. It was getting increasingly hot with every passing minute. I walk into the outdoor hallway and find a bench. I still can't breathe. I pull my legs up to my chest and bury my face in my knees.

I don't close my eyes though.

I try to take deep breaths, but I can't seem to do it.

Everything is out of my control. Every part of my body is going crazy. My hands were tingling, my eyes were filling with tears, my chest was heavy.

"Callie." I hear.

I pull my face up from my knees and see Lena in front of me. Timothy must have told her.

"Do you think we could go to my office?" Lena asks.

I stand up, still struggling to breathe. Her office is only a minute walk from where we are.

We walk in and Lena shuts the door behind us. I sit down and Lena pulls a chair directly in front of me.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? What happened?" She asks.

I pull my hair off my neck and take a deep breath. Well, I attempt.

"I closed my eyes for a minute. A minute and-" I start, but shake my head.

It's dumb.

"And what?" Lena urges me to continue.

"Every time I close my eyes, I see him. I cant sleep. I'm so tired. God I'm so tired," I say.

"Oh, honey, you're going to be okay, you hear me? Me and Stef, the kids, we're all here for you. We're gonna help you through this. You're not doing this alone," Lena says, putting her hand carefully on my knee.

"I just want to sleep without feeling his hands on me again. I'm so exhausted." I continue.

"You will, sweetheart. In time you will," Lena assures.

She wipes tears off my cheek, and I swallow.

She puts her arms out, and I push myself into them. Her hair smells like lavender and I burrow my face deeper into it.

"I'm gonna call Stef to come get you. I don't feel right sending you back to class," Lena says, pulling out her phone.

I zone out as she talks to Stef. I pull my knees up to my chest and rest my chin on them.

It doesn't take long for Stef to get here. She kisses Lena, telling her she would see her later, then we leave.

We get to the house fairly quickly. Stef leads me upstairs to her and Lena's room. This was the first time I'd ever been in there.

She hands me a pair of her or Lena's pajamas. "Put these on, love."

Stef heads to the closet and begins putting her shirt and belt away, then heads into the bathroom to change herself. I finish changing and stand there.

I find comfort in the pajamas.

Stef comes out dressed in pajamas too.

"Don't you have to go back to work?" I ask.

"Don't be silly. Come here," She says, patting on the spot of the bed next to her.

I hesitate.

"I don't bite," Stef jokes.

I half smile and crawl under the covers.

Stef turns the light off.

"Go to sleep, love. I'll be right here the entire time," She says, putting her arm around me and pulling me closer.

I feel safe.

Maybe I will be able to sleep, for once.

**xoxoxoxo**


	12. Chapter 12

I wake up to Stef's arm still wrapped around my body. I smile, then begin sitting up.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," Stef jokes.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Only about 4 hours or so, but I'm glad you at least slept a little bit, it makes me feel less worried," Stef replies.

"I'm gonna go grab something to drink and find Jude," I say, sitting up and putting my hair in a ponytail.

"Grab a snack while you're at it, something small like string cheese or a banana, please," She says, but I know it was more of an order than a recommendation.

"I will. And, uh, thank you for laying with me while I slept," I say, looking down at my ankles.

"I'm always looking for an excuse to cuddle one of my babies. You are no exception, love," She says smiling.

I smile to myself and turn around to walk to the kitchen.

I haven't felt this feeling in a while. The feeling of being cared for and loved. It's bittersweet, because this is not forever.

It doesn't hurt to sometimes live in the moment.

I head to the fridge, grabbing a water bottle and a string cheese, per Stef's 'request', then continue into the living room in hopes of finding Jude. I see him sitting on the floor, his school work spread across the coffee table. I sit down next to him.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asks instantly, looking up from his papers.

"Yea, I'm fine, I just needed sleep, that's all," I say, running my fingers through his hair.

He nods, but stays silent.

"What are you working on?" I ask.

"Just a project. It's a family tree," He replies.

I can feel my heart break in my chest.

"I-I don't know what to put on it," He says, looking down at his empty poster board. "You're my only family," He adds.

"You can put mom on there, you know. She's still our mom, no matter what," I tell him, although I know this is hard for him.

"But I'm supposed to say things about her, and I don't even know anything to say," He sighs.

"I could tell you about her," I suggest.

Jude hesitates. "Do you still think about her?"

"Everyday," I answer honestly.

"I try to, but I don't remember anything," He replies, and I can tell he is getting frustrated.

"I remember. You can always ask me anything you want to know," I say, putting my hand on his back.

"All I remember is her reading to us before going to sleep, usually when dad was out," He says.

"She read to us all the time. Your favorite was always the velveteen rabbit. I swear you made her read that at least a hundred times. I used to get so mad," I say, laughing as I remember the memory.

"I kinda remember that," He smiles.

"You should have that book memorized by now," I joke.

"What else? About mom, I mean," he continues.

"She always smelled like peaches. It was her favorite smell. She used to make us biscuits and gravy on Sunday's, too. Her favorite color was yellow because it reminded her of summer. She also hated little dogs, God knows why," I say.

Jude smiles, but I can still see the sadness and frustration in his eyes.

"She loved you so much, Jude. I don't want you to forget that," I add, trying to make him feel better.

"What about dad?" He asks.

I stiffen.

"There isn't much for me to say about him," I reply.

I know he is just curious, but I didn't want to remind him of all the bad we went through even before foster care.

"Oh. Well I'm gonna work on this," He says, and I can tell he's upset.

I think about saying something, but ultimately decide against it. I didn't have the energy. Not right now at least. He would eventually get over it. Hopefully.

I get up and go upstairs. Brandon is at the top of the stairs.

"Hey," I say.

"Hey," He mumbles.

"What are you up to?" I ask.

"I was just gonna practice if you wanted to hang out in my room," He says.

I agree and head into his room. I lay down on his bed and listen to him as he plays the same piece he has been for weeks. I for some reason never find myself tired of it.

It gets quiet, and soon I see him walking towards the bed. He sits down next to me and I sit up.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but, what happened to your parents? If you don't mind me asking of course," He asks carefully.

I push the hair behind my ears and lick my lips.

"Uh, well my parents went out one night and my dad got drunk. He ran a red light driving home and my mom and a few people in the car he hit were killed. He went to prison for manslaughter. He's still there, I guess," I say, not looking at him.

"I'm sorry," He says quietly.

"Don't be. It's not your fault,"

"It doesn't have to be my fault for me to feel bad, Callie," He says.

I look up and muster up a small smile.

"I need to go do some school work. I'll talk to you later," I get up and head to me and Mariana's room.

I was happy to see it was empty. I don't think I could have handled anymore talking.

I sit down on the bed, leaning my head back against the wall and close my eyes. My mind wanders.

* * *

"_Callie, honey. We're going out. We'll be home soon. Tara is in the living room," My mom says._

"_Do you have to?" I whine. _

"_It's just a few hours, honest. Tomorrow we can go to the park and spend the whole day together. I promise," She says, coming closer to my bed. _

"_But I wanted to spend time with you tonight. I wanted to watch Beauty and the Beast," I say. _

"_We can watch it first thing in the morning, baby," _

_I don't look up._

"_Can I have a kiss goodbye?" She asks._

_I don't reply. I don't move. _

_She sighs. _

"_I'll see you in the morning. I love you." _

_She walks out, shutting the door behind her. _

* * *

_The bright lights are shining outside the window. I can hear Tara talking, and I peek my head out my door. Two big policemen come inside and catch my gaze. They're holding an envelope. _

"_Hi Callie, I'm Officer Young and this is my partner Officer Vasquez. Is your brother here?"_

* * *

"Callie honey, wake up,"

I open my eyes to see Stef and Lena above me.

"Are you okay, love? You're sweating," Lena asks.

I wipe my brow.

"Yea I'm fine. Just hot, I guess," I lie.

"We just wanted to talk to you about something," Lena says.

I sit up and look at them with worried eyes.

"Nothing bad love, we were both just discussing what we could do to help you, and we both agreed we needed some outside help," Stef says.

I look at them with confused eyes. "Like a therapist?"

They glance at each other, and Stef breathes before answering.

"Yes,"

"Do I have to?" I ask, fidgeting with my hands.

"We both just want to help you in the best way we can, and this doesn't mean that you can't talk to us about anything, we just feel that you would benefit best with a professional as well. It's just another means of support. We just ask that you try it for a couple sessions," Stef says.

I don't reply.

"You've been through so much, honey. You _deserve _to get help. You don't have to process things on your own anymore. Or ever again," Lena adds.

I look up.

"I'll try it,"

They both smile.

"Thank you, sweets. We just want you to feel better, no matter what it takes," Stef says.

"Dinner is about ready. Why don't you wash up and come downstairs. I made spaghetti," Lena says.

"Okay," I reply, getting up to go towards the bathroom.

Stef and Lena give me a kiss on the cheek and I push down the memories even further.

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the wait, guys. I honestly don't have much of an excuse other than lack of inspiration/writers block. If there's anything you want to see in future chapters, feel free to let me know!**


	13. Chapter 13

I've been snapping on Stef and Lena lately. I don't mean to do it, and I sure as hell don't feel good about it, but it seems to be a trend that happens every time I open my mouth.

I also have my second therapy appointment today. My therapist is nice, I guess, but the whole thing is still very new and scary.

"Are you ready, love?" Stef says, pulling me away from my thoughts.

"Yea, hold on I have to get my jacket," I say, turning to my closet, grabbing the light grey zip up.

I slip my arms into it and stuff my phone into my pocket, then meet Stef and Lena downstairs.

They smile at me, but I don't smile back.

We get in the car, and the drive is almost silent, except for the music softly coming from the speakers.

The office isn't far from the house, but it feels like hours. As soon as the car stops, I unbuckle myself and step out of the car. I pull at the sleeves of my sweater as we walk through the doors, then sit in the seat in the far corner. Stef signs me in and Lena sits down next to me, pulling out her phone. Eventually, Stef sits down next to Lena. I hear them talking to each other, but I stare at the photographs on the wall instead. I'm pulled out of my trance when I hear Dr. Yates call for me. Stef and Lena give me supportive smiles, but I again ignore them and make my way to the office on the opposite side of the room.

Dr. Yates shuts the door when coming in, then grabs her pad of paper and sits in the chair across from me.

"Hi, Callie. How are you?" She asks, smiling.

"I'm alright. How are you?" I reply.

"I'm good, thank you! I wanted to start with some things we didn't cover last week at your session. Looking over your answers from the initial evaluation, as well as the notes I took, it has become pretty obvious that you are suffering from some Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, explaining the lack of sleep and other things you are experiencing. This isn't uncommon in cases like yours, so I don't want you to thing this is abnormal," She explains.

I nod.

"What other symptoms are there? For PTSD?" I ask.

"Hostility, agitation, depression, and panic attacks are usually the most common, along with the sleep deprivation and flashbacks. Have you experienced any of those as well, Callie? Besides the ones we've discussed already?" She asks.

"Kind of. Yea, I think so," I answer honestly.

She sits up more in her seat and looks at me.

"Can you explain what you've been dealing with the most?"

"Agitation and hostility, mostly, but it didn't start until after last week. It kind of popped up out of nowhere," I reply.

"I don't think it popped out of nowhere, Callie, and I'm sure you know that too. Think back. Is there anything that happened that could have triggered it? Did someone say anything? Do something?" She asks.

I think for a moment.

Suddenly it clicks, kind of.

Stef and Lena had told me they loved me. They hadn't done that before. But why would that make me angry?

"Stef and Lena told me they loved me," I say.

"Why do you think that has made you upset and irritable with them?" She asks.

"I don't know."

"I think you do. Do you think there could be any connection to the word 'love' and Liam?" She asks.

I swallow. His name still makes me cringe.

"He was the last person, besides Jude, to say it to me, but we can see where that ended. They're the first people to say it since he did."

"I think that you're scared and mistrusting of the word, and that's something we can work on at future sessions. I want you to try to talk to them about it as well, though," She says.

"I don't know how. I don't know what to say," I answer truthfully.

"Do you want to do it here? I can call them in here towards the end of the hour," She suggests.

I think for a minute, and decide that was the best thing to do.

I nod.

We go on for about a half hour more, then she gets up to motion for Stef and Lena to come in.

They both sit on either side of me. My body straightens.

"Is everything okay?" Lena asks, smoothing her skirt out as she gets comfortable.

"Callie just had something she wanted to talk to you about," Dr. Yates answers.

I can feel both of them look at me as Dr. Yates crosses her legs.

"I-I'm sorry for being so snappy and mean to you guys," I begin.

"It's okay, we know things have been tough for you, we just have been worried we've done something wrong," Lena replies.

"No. God no. You've done nothing wrong. I mean, not technically," I say.

"What do you mean?" Stef asks.

"You guys told me you loved me, and I know that's not a bad thing, it's just that Liam..." I trail off.

"Hey hey hey, listen. When Liam said he loved you, that was not love. When we say it, it's coming from our hearts. We care about you and we love you, and we understand that love is scary for you, and we'll help you through it. I don't want you thinking that Liam treated you with love," Stef responds.

"I've just thought of myself as more of a burden this entire time, so it also just caught me off guard when you said it," I add.

I see Dr. Yates scribble something in her notepad.

"Why on Earth would you think that?" Lena asks.

"Because I was just your son's friend from school and then I got you involved in the entire mess and now me and my brother are sleeping in your house and you're paying all these medical expenses and-" I say until I'm cut off.

"You are in no way a burden to us or our family! You fit in the moment you sat down with us for dinner that night. We're glad you got us involved. You deserve people in your corner and we want to be those people. We are those people, regardless of how you came into our lives," Lena says.

"Callie I knew from the moment we met that you were special. I felt a strange need to protect you and keep an eye on you. You can call it a mother's instinct, but you captured our hearts. We were under no obligation to take you in. We did it because we wanted to, and we did it because we care so much about you. I know it's become uncharted waters for you, but we want to prove to you that there are still people here for you," Stef adds.

I take a deep breath and stare forward.

I feel Lena's hand on my shoulder. Stef kisses my temple and I close my eyes.

The session is released and the three of us thank Dr. Yates and leave the office, headed towards the parking lot.

I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders, and it feels incredible if I'm being honest.

**Hey guys! I'm looking for suggestions because I'm currently at a loss right now! Thanks for reading as usual!**


	14. Chapter 14

I lay in bed, cocooned into the blankets so that I can hardly move. I could hear Lena calling me downstairs for lunch, but I ignored it. The thought of going down there did not settle well in my stomach. Plus, what was the point? I wasn't going to eat anyways.

I hear footsteps approaching the door, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it's Lena. I hear a small knock and a "Callie, can I come in?"

I don't answer, because she'll come in regardless. I don't have the energy to open my mouth.

The door opens with a soft creaking noise.

"Callie, didn't you hear me? I said lunch was ready."

"I'm not hungry." I reply.

"Well, I just want you to eat a little of it. You can't skip lunch honey." She says sternly but softly.

"I will. Just not right now." I lie.

Lena hesitates.

"I'll wrap up a plate and put it in the fridge. I expect it eaten within the next two hours, do you understand?" She says.

I nod into my pillow. I wasn't going to eat it though, and they couldn't force me to either. Lena shuts the door and I curl my legs up to my knees.

My knee caps seem sharp enough to cut straight through my skin and bones to my heart, but that was how I liked it. No one could hurt me if my bones could cut straight through them.

My stomach growls and I gain a strange sense of satisfaction. A sense of accomplishment. I was in control of this again, at this moment at least, and it felt good.

I continue to lay in bed, wrapped in my blanket where no one could reach me. I was untouchable. I trace letters and pictures onto the wall until my finger goes numb. I get caught up in my own little world until I hear my door open.

"Callie, I thought you understood when I said the food was to be eaten within these next two hours. Do you know what time it is?" I hear Lena ask.

I don't answer.

"It's 3:07." Stef speaks this time.

Still no reply.

"Callie turn around and look at us please." Stef says sternly.

I turn and sit up to lean against the wall. I keep the blanket wrapped around my body.

"Are you going to tell us why you decided to blatantly ignore Lena's directions?" Stef asks.

I shrug.

"Just talk to us, sweetie." Lena coerces.

"I just wasn't hungry," I finally reply, looking down at the floral design on my blanket.

"You know that isn't an excuse. It never has been." Stef says.

"Well that's my excuse right now," I say in a harsher tone than normal.

"Watch your tone, please," Lena says.

I pick at my nails underneath the blanket.

"I want you to come downstairs and eat your lunch. This is not up for discussion," Stef orders.

"No," I answer.

I refuse to give in.

"Excuse me?" Stef raises an eyebrow.

"I said I'm not eating it."

"Well you don't really have a choice," Stef says.

"What are you going to do, force it down my throat?" I begin to raise my voice.

"If I have to, then yes! Don't test me right now, Callie," Stef begins to get angrier.

Lena puts her hand on Stef's shoulder in an effort to get her to back off.

"You can try all you want, but I'm not eating anything and there isn't anything you can do about it," I say, looking up.

"You better watch yourself, Callie. I'm serious," Stef replies.

"I am too,"

"Forget it," Stef says, throwing her arms up and walking out of the room.

I can cut the tension with a knife, and I instantly regret what just happened.

"I'm sorry," I mutter.

Lena comes towards my bed and puts her hand on my shoulder.

"I think you both need time to cool off," Lena says.

"She hates me," I reply, trying not to cry.

Why did I have to push everyone away? Why did I have to yell at her?

"Don't be silly, Callie. Stef could never hate you, you know that."

I don't answer.

Lena kisses my cheek and leaves the room. I trace circles onto my razor blade knee caps and try not to cry.

My growling stomach doesn't seem like much of something to be proud of anymore. I scan the room. I grab a pillow and thrust it across the room in frustration. God, why couldn't I just be normal for once?

After a little while, I hear footsteps and a knock on the door.

"Come in," I say softly.

Stef peeks her head through the door before opening it all the way.

My lips quiver.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't hate me," I say, feeling fresh, hot tears on my cold cheeks.

"Oh, my love no," Stef says, shutting the door with her foot and running over to my bed.

"I could never ever in a million years hate you. I can get upset with you but I can promise you will never hate you," She says, rocking me back and forth in her arms.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. That wasn't the right way to handle the situation. I just get so angry that I can't help you the way I want to. I know you're trying, and you're doing so well. I'm sorry for yelling at you," Stef says.

"I don't mean to make you angry. I don't know what's wrong," I admit, wiping my cheek with my sleeve.

"I think you do know. Just try to think. Talk to me," Stef says, brushing the hair off of my sticky face.

I don't answer. I hold my breath instead.

"Is it the trial coming up?" She asks, rubbing her thumb softly on my shoulder.

I let out the breath.

"I don't want to see him. If I see him it will hit me like a tsunami all over again. W-what he did to me. What I _let _him do to me," I say, clenching my jaw.

"Oh no no, we are not going back to blaming yourself. I know you know it isn't your fault. But this will be the last time you see him. He'll get put away for a long time and you can continue to heal." She says.

"I will always see him. In my sleep, in the faces of strangers. I can still smell his cologne around school. He is everywhere! He will always be everywhere and the only way I can avoid that is if I disappear but no one is letting me and I'm frustrated! God, I'm so frustrated!" I surprise myself by admitting.

"Shh sweets, don't work yourself up. I know you're frustrated but you have to understand that we just got you and we aren't letting you disappear. We love you far too much to let that happen," She assures.

"Why are you doing all this?" I ask quietly.

"Doing what, love?" Stef turns her head to the side.

"Everything. Spending all your money on lawyers and court dates and doctors. I'm not even your kid," I say, looking down at me ankles.

"Callie, you've been my girl since the minute I saw you. I always knew that. Call it mother's intuition," Stef smiles at me.

I wrap my arms around her waist so tight I think everything above it might pop off. She smells like vanilla and I think vanilla will forever remind me of home now. Of comfort.

"Now, whatya say. How about we go down and eat a little something together and then watch some movies on the couch?" Stef asks.

I nod and we stand up.

I have never felt so lucky in my entire life.

**I am so sorry for the ridiculous wait. I was finding it hard to think of anything, but I recently finished a book that inspired me so I finally got out of my rut. Love ya guys**


	15. Chapter 15

My eyes open and I shoot up in the bed, my face covered in a cold sweat. Nights like this weren't uncommon. I check the time on my phone and see that it's only around 2 am. I run my fingers through the loose ends of my ponytail, brushing them off of my now sticky face. I lay my head back down on the pillow, but am still too afraid to close my eyes. I continue to just breathe and think and sort out everything in my head but it all stays a jumbled mess. This trial was really beginning to throw me off.

"Hey, you okay?" I hear Mariana ask from the other side of the room.

I look over at her. She's now sitting up.

"Bad dream. Did I wake you up?" I ask.

"Yea but it's okay, don't worry about it. Are you okay though?" Mariana asks.

"I'm fine...a little thirsty though. I think I'm gonna get some water," I reply.

"I'll get it! Stay there," Mariana gets up and walks out and I hear her go downstairs to the kitchen.

I hear her come up the stairs after a few minutes. She enters with 2 mugs and a water bottle. I sit up and she hands me the water bottle and puts one mug on the nightstand. She sits cross legged on the floor with the other.

"Moms used to do this when I had bad dreams when I was little. It's hot chocolate," She says.

I smile, taking a sip of the water before grabbing the mug.

We sit in silence for a little bit, until Mariana begins speaking.

"I used to have really bad nightmares and night terrors when I first got here. Mostly about this one foster home. It was our second home, and it was just a man. His name was Gary. One time, he was really mad at me for breaking a plate. He started screaming at me and I started crying. He didn't like it when we cried, so he put his cigarette out on my hand. When I started screaming, Jesus ran in and yelled at him, but he threw Jesus halfway across the room. I used to dream about it all the time, but nobody ever cared when I woke up screaming, except for Jesus. And of course moms now," Mariana said.

I felt honored that she had confided in me.

"I don't even know what to say. That's so awful. I'm sorry that happened to you guys," I say, unable to think of anything better at the moment.

"I used to see his face all the time when I went to sleep. Sometimes I would dream that I was back in that house, or I would dream that same scenario over and over again. It would repeat some nights and I just couldn't wake up. Moms' used to have to take turns sleeping with me so that they knew when it was happening," She continued.

I didn't answer.

"I don't see him anymore, at least not as often. I still have the scar on my hand, but I don't see him. I know you have nightmares a lot, but it won't always be like this," She says, coming up to the bed and sitting next to me.

I take a deep breath in before saying anything.

"This trial is just taking over my entire brain. I just keep thinking about what will happen if he isn't found guilty, and I can't stop dreaming about him coming for me, like revenge I guess? I don't know. It's all been a mess,"

"He's gonna get put away. Moms wouldn't let him go free, Mom especially isn't going to take any shit tomorrow," Mariana says, resting her hand on my knee.

I take a sip of the hot chocolate. It's still hot, but I like the feel of it down my throat.

"I hope so," I reply.

Mariana and I sit and finish our hot chocolate, and after about an hour we find ourselves in our own beds again. Mariana falls asleep quickly, but I stay up for a little while more. I listen to the random creaks of the house, and Mariana's quiet breathing. I close my eyes again, and eventually fall back asleep.

I wake up this time to a gentle shaking of my shoulder. I turn over and see Lena above me.

"Hey sweetie, the trial is in a couple hours, but we just wanted to make sure you had time to eat and get ready and give us time to get there," She says with a smile.

"Okay," I say, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

It's 8:28. The trial was at 10:30. It all seemed so real.

I go downstairs, careful not to wake Mariana. Jude is downstairs, along with Stef. Jude is supposed to testify, and telling a 12 year old about rape wasn't anything I was thrilled to do, but better it from us then random people in court.

I sit next to Jude, kissing his hair. I grab a pear from the table and start nibbling on it, but my appetite is nonexistent. Lena places a bowl of oatmeal in front of me, but all I can manage to do is push it around with my spoon.

After a couple of bites and a lot of rearranging, I feel Stef's hands on my shoulder.

"I know you're trying, but I know that you're nervous. You don't have to eat it all if you can't," She whispers in my ear before kissing my head.

I look back at her with thankful eyes.

After emptying out the bowl and putting it in the sink, I go back upstairs.

I was going to wear one of Mariana's dresses, but I begin second guessing that. I go towards Stef and Lena's room, and gently knock on the open door. Lena emerges from the bathroom.

"What's up, baby?" She asks, coming towards me.

"I-I don't want to wear the dress anymore. It's just too much... too much me. I don't want him to see that much. It's dumb I know-" I say before she cuts me off.

"I have some pants and blazers you can can wear. It's not dumb, what you feel comfortable with is never dumb," She says before heading towards her closet.

She motions for me to come over and has me choose which ones I want. I settle on the simple black pants and a striped blazer.

"Thank you," I say, almost too quiet for anyone to hear.

"Of course," Lena says, giving me another soft smile.

I head into the bathroom to change. As I do this, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

I usually avoid this. My body scares me. 

I stop this time though and really look at it. The bruises on my arms are fading, but the ones on my hips are still kind of purple. I run my fingers over them before getting dressed.

I brush my teeth and pull my hair into a half up half down kind of thing before going back downstairs. By that time we have to leave, so the four of us hop into Stef's car.

Jude holds my hand the entire way.

We pull up to the court house and I unbuckle my seat belt, but I can't seem to move out of the seat. Jude, Stef and Lena have already gotten out but my feet are frozen to the ground

Stef falls back though, motioning for Lena and Jude to go in.

She comes to the back seat and and squats down.

"I can't do it. Stef I can't do it anymore I don't want to. I don't want to!" I shake my head and cry.

This was a mistake, all of it.

"Hey hey hey, you CAN do this. I know you're scared, hell I'm scared too! But I know you can do this I know you're strong enough baby!" She says, grabbing both of my hands in hers.

I shake my head again. "No, I can't. This was a mistake Stef, I was dumb to think I could."

"Hey, look at me love. You are not dumb! Not now, not never. I know it's hard and I know it's scary but I have so much faith in you and I believe in you. We all believe you can do it! You're the strongest girl I know, baby! Don't let him win,"

"He already has, Stef," I say defeated.

"He hasn't! You can do this, just breathe. We will be there the entire time, we're on your side, we're BY you're side! Just try. You'll regret it if you don't, and I don't want you to have regrets," She pleads.

I don't reply. I feel her wipe some of the tears off of my face, and she gives me a smile. I get out of the car after a few minutes.

Stef grabs my hand and gives it a quick squeeze as we walk towards the courthouse. Lena and Jude are sitting on a bench inside waiting for us. We're called into the court house, and I shiver at the sight of Liam. I squeeze Stef's hand.

The trial begins, and I sit with my lawyer.

I watch Liam as both my lawyer and his question him. I hear his bullshit story. His story that I wanted it, his story that we just liked to do things rough. I cringe at his words.

They call me up to the stand. I'm scared, but I do my best to not let it show on my face.

I swear to tell the truth, and they begin questioning me. I give my initial statement, and I tell them what he did to me. They pull up the evidence and it feels as though things are going to be okay.

That is, until his lawyer came at me.

"Mrs. Jacob, is it true that you and Mr. Olmstead shared a romantic relationship?" He asks.

"In a way, yes," I reply.

"Yes, and as we take a look back at your file, we see that you were removed from a house because of a relationship you claimed to have with a foster brother two years back. This was later seen as a lie, so who's to say that this wasn't a lie as well?"

"That's different! I was trying to get my brother and I out of another abusive home. I knew that if I said that, they would take us out," I answer.

"But this taints your credibility. Who's to say you didn't agree to consensual sex with Mr. Olmstead., but when you feared someone would find out, you cried rape?"

"It wasn't consensual. Nothing about it was! But either way, he would be having sex with a minor, which is also against the law," I say, although I feel as though I'm speaking to a brick wall.

I could feel my face getting hot and my chest begin to hurt. I look out to Stef, Lena and Jude. Stef gives me a look that I know is her way of telling me I could do this.

"Liam Olmstead raped me. He forced me to have sex with him," I say confidently.

They dismiss me, and call Jude up.

They ask him questions about the Olmstead's home. About Liam. About me. They ask him if he was being abused in the house. They asked him everything, and it tore me apart to see him up there because of me.

Liam had a smirk on his face the entire time, and I wanted to throw up. The room was spinning. I stand my ground, though.

The judge, after what seems like hours, says she has a ruling. I sit up, along with everyone else.

"In the case of the rape of Callie Jacob by Liam Olmstead, I find Liam Olmstead guilty of rape in the first degree. He will wait at San Diego County prison until sentencing," She says before dismissing the court house.

My head is spinning, and the words replay over and over in my mind.

I had _won. _

I never win. Ever.

I get up and run back to Stef, Lena and Jude. I hug Jude so tight I think he's going to break. Stef and Lena engulf me into a hug and it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders.

"I knew you could do it, baby! I knew it!" Stef says, holding my face up to hers.

I smile and hug them both again.

"Let's go home, we've got some celebrating to do," Lena says, wrapping her arms around me and Jude as we walk out.

**A/N: Hey! I hope you guys liked it! I have another short story idea in my head that I'm so excited to show to you guys! Thanks for reading!**


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